Wednesday, August 31, 2005

LAST WEEKEND the Pope gave a warning against treating religion as a "consumer product� in which one picks and chooses the bits one likes. Though irretrievably atheistic, I have every sympathy with him.

Dear me, I am a little bit pompous over in Bizarro World, aren't I?

In related news, Oliver appears to have been reading a couple of textbooks in the higher mathematics:

When mathematicians speak of set theory, no one suggests they be required to give equal time in class to those who dispute that the next number in the set �one, two, three� is �four�.

I have checked this with two (2) mathematicians, one of whom is a Chartered Mathematician and I bet you didn't know there was any such thing. Both of them confirm that the set {"one", "two", "three"} does not have a member which is "four".[1]

[1] Perhaps Oliver is confusing it with the set {"one", "two", "three", "four"}[2]. It's a common mistake but you would have thought the Times subs would have picked it up. In Bizarro World.[2] More specifically, the ordered set, but now you're just being pedantic.0 comments this item posted by the management 8/31/2005 03:34:00 AM